Two inmates were in the “wrong place at the wrong time” when they were caught up in an attempted prison break, a court heard.

William Downes and Ifzal Zafar claim they were going to retrieve some clothes thrown out of a cell block window at the same time two other men made their escape bid at Kirklevington Grange, near Yarm.

But a jury at Teesside Crown Court heard the case against the pair is that they were part of the escape plot on May 21 last year.

Downes, 31, formerly of Yarm Road, Stockton, and Zafar, 27, formerly from Bradford, have both denied attempting to escape from lawful custody.

Prosecutor Michael Bosomworth told the court yesterday that after they had been locked up for the night the two defendants and two other men “got out through a window”.

“Fortunately officers had been tipped off and fortunately they were apprehended before they got out,” he said.

Mr Bosomworth said sometime just after 8pm a prisoner had knocked on the door of a prison officer “and said he thought there was somebody on the roof.”

“He went to investigate with another officer. Once they got outside they heard somebody jump down from the roof and at that point saw Mr Downes running towards the perimeter fence.

“They tried to head him off and they ordered him to lie down.

“At this point three other prisoners ran through the prison to the garden area

“There was something of a struggle to bring Mr Downes under control, fortunately they were able to do that.”

Prison officers continued to search for the three other men, the jury heard, and Zafar was found under a cabin.

The two other men, Dylan Thomas Conroy and Kenneth Bennett, were found hiding in bushes. Both have pleaded guilty to the attempted escape.

After they were apprehended Downes, who was not in the dock yesterday, and Zafar said “six” and “four” inmates had escaped from the window.

The prosecutor put it to the jury: “How did they know about these other escapees if they were only going to recover some clothes.”

The jury heard it was the case of both defendants that another prisoner “had thrown some of Mr Downes’ belongings out of a window”.

Downes and Zafar, both now of HMP Northumberland, say they had gone to recover them and a member of the prison staff had let them out, “but noone was available to let them back in,” said Mr Bosomworth.

He said the defendants claimed that “when Bennett and Conroy made their escape bid they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time”.